Northwest Community Hospital News

John and Rita Canning make $1 million gift to Northwest Community Hospital

John and Rita Canning of Inverness have made a $1 million contribution to Northwest Community Hospital in support of a planned expansion of the hospital’s Emergency Room. Well-known throughout the Chicago area as dedicated civic leaders and generous philanthropists, the Cannings provided the gift in part to demonstrate the importance of charitable giving to local institutions.

“We have to remember that charity begins at home,” Rita said. “We must pay attention to what’s going on in our neighborhoods. We have many worthy causes and excellent services right here in our own backyard.”

Northwest Community Hospital is a leader in emergency medicine, serving more than 70,000 patients in its Arlington Heights Emergency Room each year. During visits to the ER with family members, Rita observed that while the clinicians are superb, it can be challenging for them to deliver care with optimal efficiency.

When she and John heard about the hospital’s plans to nearly double the size of the ER and reduce wait times, they were eager to support those goals. Scheduled for completion in 2011, the expanded ER will occupy space on the first floor of the new eight-story Patient Care Addition. It will feature eight triage spaces for faster care, and 45 patient rooms. Pediatric emergency services focused specifically on children will continue to be part of the ER, which will grow by more than 19,000 square feet.

“We are honored by the Cannings’ commitment to a healthy community, and grateful they are thinking of Northwest Community,” said Diane Hill, chair of the hospital’s Foundation Board.

Rita Canning chairs the Board of Directors at northwest suburban WINGS (Women In Need Growing Stronger), which offers support services to domestic violence victims. A portion of the Cannings’ gift will help fund a new partnership between WINGS and Northwest Community Hospital. The program calls for increased training of hospital staff members so they better recognize signs of domestic abuse. A WINGS staff member now has an office at the hospital to counsel victims on site.

John Canning is chairman and co-founder of private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners, and recently was named chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He serves as chairman of the Chicago Community Trust and is a trustee for many of the city’s finest organizations.

“We enjoy philanthropic projects where we can have a meaningful impact,” John said.